THE P RTAL
January 2017 Page 12
Walsingham in Winter
Jackie Ottaway and Ronald Crane have been talking to Zyg Rakowicz , the new Director of Evangelisation at the Basilica of Our Lady of Walsingham , England ’ s National Shrine of Our Lady
Walsingham in winter is lovely ; the bare trees glistening with early morning frost ; those who work in the holiday industry making ready for the coming season . The sea is always special , but in wintertime it is especially romantic . We were privileged to visit Walsingham in winter to meet Zygmunt Rakowicz .
Much is happening at the Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham . One of these changes is the appointment of Zygmunt Rakowicz as Director of Evangelisation . With such a name we just had to ask where he hails from . “ South East London ,” was the answer . Zyg , as he prefers to be called , is married to Pascale Mary and they have a daughter , Aurelia .
Of Polish extraction , Zyg is a personable young man , full of enthusiasm for the Shrine in general and his new job in particular . He says , “ Our aim is to provide all who come to Walsingham with a memorable pilgrim experience . We want it to be a place which contributes to every visitor ’ s life journey : a memorable moment , a place where answers to questions of the faith can be found , a place where new friendships are born , where faith grows and is renewed .
“ Considering every individual ’ s pilgrimage to Walsingham as part of the larger lifelong pilgrimage which each person embarks on to meet Our Maker , we want to encourage pilgrims to take time to prepare for their visit to Walsingham : not to just ‘ be ready to get on the bus ’ at 8am on the day of departure , but to reflect in advance about their own personal
pilgrimage and the intentions they will carry ; to plan their visit and explore the spiritual as well as material beauty of the area .
“ So with time we will seek to offer resources to help people prepare spiritually and materially ; to help plan their journey by road or by rail or by footpath , taking into account historic pilgrimage stops of centuries past , to plan their visit to the Shrine and to benefit from the wealth of amenities on offer both in Walsingham in the surrounding area .